Movie of the Week

• Transformers One

Cinemas

• Terrifier 3
• Salem’s Lot
• Timestalker
• Portraits of Dangerous Woman
• Buffalo Kids
• Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot
• Stuntman
• Jigra

Streaming/On-Demand

• Lonely Planet
• The Last of the Sea Women

Re-Releases

• Gladiator

CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Hamm, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Vanessa Liguori, Jason Konopisos-Alvarez, Jon Bailey, Evan Michael Lee, James Remar, Jinny Chung, Josh Cooley, Dillion Bryan, Steve Blum

CREW: Josh Cooley (director), Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari and Eric Pearson (writers), Michael Bay, Aaron Dem, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy and Mark Vahradian (producers), Brian Tyler (composer), Christopher Batty (cinematographer), Lynn Hobson (editor)

PLOT: On the planet Cybertron, Orion Pax (Hemsworth) and D-16 (Henry) are best friends who set out on a journey together, which will lead them down different paths as Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The Transformers franchise returns to its animated roots for an expansive origin story for the iconic Autobot and Decepticon leaders
• Chris Hemsworth and Bryan Tyree Henry lend their voices to the friends-turned-enemies, alongside a stacked cast that also includes Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key and Jon Hamm
• Josh Cooley, who previously directed the Oscar-winning Toy Story 4, pays stylistic homage to the original cartoon and its recognisable designs
• There’s some fast-paced action as well as intricate character work to satisfy the majority of viewers, both young and old
• It could mark a new chapter in the Transformers’ cinematic history, after numerous live-action films of, well, much lesser quality

Transformers One is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Samantha Scaffidi, Chris Jericho, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Savini, Jason Patric, Antonella Rose, Krsy Fox, Clint Howard, Annie Lederman, Jon Abrahams

CREW: Damien Leone (director, writer, editor), Phil Falcone (producer), Paul Wiley (composer), George Steuber (cinematographer)

PLOT: Shortly after surviving a Halloween massacre, Sienna (LaVera) and her brother Jonathan (Fullam) attempt to rebuild their lives as the holiday season approaches. However, the murderous Art the Clown (Thornton) makes an unexpected return, bringing his twisted brand of terror to an all-new time of year…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Art the Clown is taking over Christmas as the modern slasher icon makes his return in the third entry of Damien Leone’s cult film series
• David Howard Thornton dons the black-and-white makeup once more as a clown so murderous that he makes Pennywise look like Krusty, and this time he’s more horrifying than ever
• Both Lauren LaVera and Elliott Fullam reprise their roles from the acclaimed previous film, while Samantha Scaffidi has a much larger part as the first movie’s survivor turned accomplice Vicky
• Expect the carnage to come gift-wrapped in plenty of seasonal imagery, making it all the stranger that this film isn’t being released closer to Christmas itself
• For fans of intense slasher gore, this movie provides as much violent bliss as its well-regarded predecessors

Terrifier 3 is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Pilou Asbæk, Alfre Woodard, William Sadler, John Benjamin Hickey, Jordan Preston Carter, Spencer Treat Clark, Nicholas Crovetti, Cade Woodward, Alexander Ward

CREW: Gary Dauberman (director, writer), Michael Clear, Roy Lee, James Wan and Mark Wolper (producers), Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott (composers), Michael Burgess (cinematographer), Luke Ciarrocchi (editor)

PLOT: After returning to his childhood home in the town of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, writer Ben Mears (Pullman) discovers that the residents are being terrorised by a monstrous vampire, which will stop at nothing to take control of the town…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The long-awaited film adaptation of Stephen King’s terrifying vampire tale – previously adapted into two separate TV miniseries – captures the horror of the original story
• Gary Dauberman, best known for writing several films within the Conjuring Universe in addition to the two-part adaptation of King’s It, directs with a keen focus on the terrifying nature of the narrative
• Its ties to the Conjuring franchise continue with the inclusion of series director James Wan as a producer, along with Roy Lee who also produced both It movies
• The vampires themselves are already enough to give you nightmares, but it is how Dauberman creates a spooky atmosphere around them that will make it difficult for them to leave your memory
• The UK is remarkably one of the few international territories where it is getting a theatrical release, with the film going straight to streaming service Max in the US, so savour this cinematic outing while you can!

Salem’s Lot is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Alice Lowe, Jacob Anderson, Nick Frost, Aneurin Barnard, Tanya Reynolds, Mike Wozniak, Kate Dickie, Dan Renton Skinner

CREW: Alice Lowe (director, writer), Mark Hopkins, Vaughan Sivell, Natan Stoessel and Tom Wood (producers), Toydrum (composers), Ryan Eddleston (cinematographer), Chris Dickens and Matyas Fekete (editors)

PLOT: In 1680s Scotland, Agnes (Lowe) suffers a gruesome fate after falling for the wrong man. As she is reincarnated across several periods, from 1790s England to a post-apocalyptic 22nd century society, Agnes is doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Alice Lowe’s highly imaginative follow-up to her acclaimed filmmaking debut Prevenge takes viewers on a whirlwind and disastrously romantic journey across time
• In addition to writing and directing the film, Lowe also stars as several incarnations of the same woman across centuries of history, wherein she faces eternal heartbreak and hilariously nasty death
• Nick Frost, Jacob Anderson and Sex Education breakout Tanya Reynolds are among the British ensemble cast supporting Lowe on her ambitious endeavour
• Since receiving universal acclaim after its debut at this year’s SXSW Festival, all eyes have been on it as a potential international breakthrough for Lowe as a filmmaker
• It might just leave Bertrand Bonello’s recent film The Beast, which also dealt with reincarnated lovers across various points in time, firmly in the dust

Timestalker is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Tara Fitzgerald, Yasmin Monet Prince, Jeany Spark, Mark Lewis Jones, Annette Badland, Abigail Cruttenden, Joseph Marcell, Sheila Reid, Cavan Clerkin, David Mumeni, Ellen Robertson, Gary Shelford, Nick Cavaliere, Benjamin Finch, Colin Hurley, Pedro Leandro

CREW: Pascal Bergamin (director, writer, producer), Stephan Teuwissen (writer), Dankuro Shinma (producer, cinematographer), Matilda James (producer), Jonas Bühler (composer), Raluca Petre (editor)

PLOT: After becoming involved in a bizarre road accident, three strangers – Tina (Fitzgerald), Ashley (Prince) and Steph (Spark) – decide to take matters into their own hands rather than alerting the authorities, which leads them to find an unexpected sense of kinship in one another…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Female friendships are given a slyly funny makeover in this dark but ultimately heartfelt (in its own way) comedy
• Tara Fitzgerald, Yasmin Monet Prince and Jeany Spark form a cohesive and at times bizarre unit that head in directions which you really won’t see coming
• It is the second feature film by Swiss filmmaker Pascal Bergamin, who previously impressed with his British crime thriller Nice Guy
• The film adopts an amusing idiosyncratic tone that turns some of the darker plot elements into a farcical series of events
• It’ll give you an all-new perspective on what it’s like to be connected by an unusual incident that could happen to just about anyone

Portraits of Dangerous Women is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Alisha Weir, Gemma Arterton, Sean Bean, Stephen Graham, Conor MacNeill, Grace Reilly

CREW: Pedro Solís García and Juan Jesús García Galocha (directors), Jordi Gasull (writer, producer), Javier López Barreira (writer), Clever Beretta Custodio, Ricardo Marco Budé, Toni Novella, Jaime Ortiz de Artiñano, Rosa Pérez, Marc Sabé and Ignacio Salazar-Simpson (producers), Fernando Velázquez (composer), Emily Killick (editor)

PLOT: In the 19th century, Tom (MacNeill) and Mary (Weir) are two orphaned Irish siblings who emigrate to New York, where their uncle Niall (Graham) is to look after them. However, when Niall fails to turn up, the siblings end up travelling across America in search of a new home, befriending non-verbal paraplegic boy Nick along the way…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Adventure awaits across the American frontier in an action-packed animated film for all the family
• The Spanish-made film features some colourful and heavily detailed graphics to please both young viewers and older art appreciators
• Among the English dub voice cast, we have Matilda and Abigail breakout Alisha Weir, as well as characters actors Sean Bean and Stephen Graham
• There is also room for positive disability representation, with one of the main characters being a non-verbal paraplegic who serves a vital role in the story
• It provides plenty of crowd-pleasing Western action for viewers of all ages

Buffalo Kids is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Elizabeth Mitchell, Demetrius Grosse, Nika King, Joshua Weigel, Diaana Babnicova, Jillian Reeves, Kaysi J. Bradley, Della Golden, Aria Pulliam, Asher Clay, Taj Johnson, Rose Person, Jacinte Blankenship, Demián Castro, Lisha Wheeler, Roscoe Johnson, Sandra Jarrett, Rena Canady-Laster, Dayna Beilenson, Jayden Tolbert, Sarah Hudson, Angela Davis, Ava Marie Harrison

CREW: Joshua Weigel (director, writer, producer), Rebekah Weigel (writer, producer), Sean Johnson (composer), Benji Bakshi and Sean Patrick Kirby (cinematographers), David Andalman (editor)

PLOT: In the rural Texas town of Possum Trot, the residents unite for an extraordinary act of kindness and compassion as they seek to adopt more than 70 children at risk of harm or worse within the foster care system…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• The goodness in humanity is on full display in this inspiring drama that’s based loosely on actual events within the titular Texas town
• Angel Studios, the distributor behind last year’s box office sleeper hit Sound of Freedom, is behind this powerfully moving faith-based feature
• It shares similar themes with Sound of Freedom (though obviously in not quite as extreme an execution) with its look at the real danger that countless children in the foster system face every day
• The film has even caught the attention of Marvel star Letitia Wright, who is listed as an executive producer
• For anyone who is currently or considering becoming a foster parent, this film should show all the emotional benefits of taking in kids who desperately need love and support

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Stephen Tung Wai, Terrance Lau, Cecilia Choi, Philip Ng, Lam Yiu Sing, Rachel Leung, Terry Zou, Stephanie Che, Yen To, Max Cheung

CREW: Albert Leung and Herbert Leung (directors, editors), Anastasia Tsang and Oliver Yip (writers), Angus Law-Chiu Chan (producer), Andy Cheung and Tsang-Hei Chiu (composers), Tai-Wai Cheung (cinematographer)

PLOT: In Hong Kong, Dee Gor (Tung) is a washed-up stunt choreographer who attempts a risky comeback in an industry that has rapidly changed…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Hong Kong’s answer to this year’s The Fall Guy is a passionate and emotional drama about the people behind some of the craziest stunts in showbiz
• Stephen Tung Wai, a respected stunt veteran with decades of experience working for filmmakers like John Woo and Wong Kar-Wai, delivers the performance of his long and prosperous career
• The film also features Terrance Lau and Philip Ng, who also featured in the critically-acclaimed martial arts epic Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In from earlier this year
• Expect some hard-knuckle stunt choreography, as well as some intimate human drama that brings these characters down to earth
• With The Fall Guy underwhelming at the box office, hopefully this film will give stunt performers the kind of lucrative tribute that they fully deserve (and argue once more for the inclusion of an Oscar category for them)

Stuntman is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Aditya Nanda, Manoj Pahwa, Rahul Ravindran, Yuvraj Vijan, Jason Shah, Ishan Jack, Harsh Singh

CREW: Vasan Bala (director, writer), Debashish Irengbam (writer), Shaheen Bhatt, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Somen Mishra (producers), Achint Thakkar (composer), Swapnil S. Sonawane (cinematographer), Prerna Saigal (editor)

PLOT: A young woman (Bhatt) sets out on a dangerous journey to free her beloved brother (Raina)…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• British-Indian movie star Alia Bhatt delivers a central performance full of passion and dedication in this nail-biting action-thriller
• Bhatt is also a co-producer on the film, while her older sister Shaheen Bhatt is listed as one of the producers
• The tone is a lot more sombre and grounded than previous Bollywood action blockbusters, which may help it seem more approachable to those not immersed in the Indian movie industry
• Large chunks of the film were shot in pristine international locations like Mumbai and Singapore
• Anyone looking for a fierce thriller with strong human elements could do no better than to seek this film out

Jigra is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Laura Dern, Liam Hemsworth, Diana Silvers, Younès Boucif, Adriano Giannini, Rachida Brakni

CREW: Susannah Grant (director, writer, producer), Liza Chasin and Sarah Timberman (producers), Pinar Toprak (composer), Ben Smithard (cinematographer), Kevin Tent (editor)

PLOT: Katherine Loewe (Dern), a reclusive novelist, arrives at a remote writer’s retreat in Morocco where she hopes to overcome her writer’s block. There, she meets handsome young Owen (Hemsworth), and ends up pursuing a life-altering love affair…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• A heart-stopping love story fuels the latest high-profile romantic drama from Netflix
• Oscar-winner Laura Dern and certified hunk Liam Hemsworth share intimate chemistry as their initial acquaintanceship evolves into something more
• Susannah Grant, a prolific writer best known for her Oscar-nominated screenplay for Erin Brockovich, returns to directing a feature film for the first time in nearly twenty years
• The luscious Moroccan landscapes provide a warm and tender backdrop for the romance at its fuzzy centre
• It’s a powerfully old-fashioned romance that is perfect to watch with a partner during a romantic movie night

Lonely Planet is streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Various

CREW: Sue Kim (director, producer), Erika Kennair and Malala Yousafzai (producers), Iris Ng (cinematographer), Erin Casper, Stacy Kim and Kim Yeong-a (editors)

PLOT: A band of elderly haenyeo freedivers from Jeju Island in South Korea have, for generations, harvested seafood for their livelihood, but when their way of life is faced with extinction, the divers fight to have their culture preserved…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Filmmaker Sue Kim’s insightful documentary provides viewers with full access to a culture that has not yet been fully explored on the screen
• You’ll fall in love with the adventurous freedivers, many of whom are in their 60s and even their 80s, who are fighting to preserve their unique way of life
• Malala Yousafzai, the influential activist and laureate, is listed as a producer on the film
• At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Kim was awarded the NETPAC Prize, an award given to an outstanding film from Asia-Pacific regions such as South Korea
• With its vibrant look at generational unity, this is a special film that only comes about once in a lifetime

The Last of the Sea Women is streaming exclusively on Apple TV+ from Friday 11 October 2024

CAST: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris, Ralf Möller, Tommy Flanagan, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Tomas Arana, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Omid Djalili, Giannina Facio, Giorgio Cantarini, John Quinn

CREW: Ridley Scott (director), David Franzoni (writer, producer), John Logan and William Nicholson (writers), Branko Lustig and Douglas Wick (producers), Lisa Gerrard and Hans Zimmer (composer), John Mathieson (cinematographer), Pietro Scalia (editor)

PLOT: In Ancient Rome, the decorated Roman Army general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Crowe) is betrayed by the reckless young Emperor Commodus (Phoenix) and sold into slavery, after ordering the death of his family. Soon, Maximus becomes a rising star in the world of gladiator tournaments, and eventually reaches a point where he is able to enact his vengeance on the Emperor…

FIVE REASONS TO BE EXCITED:

• Ridley Scott’s historical epic returns to the big screen, in time for the release of its much-anticipated sequel next month
• Russell Crowe won an Oscar for his portrayal of the wronged Roman who will have his vengeance (in this life or the next), with the film receiving a total of five wins, including Best Picture
• It is credited with revitalising the sword-and-sandals subgenre, once a popular go-to within classic Italian cinema as well as old Hollywood epics like Ben-Hur and Jason and the Argonauts
• The film’s use of visual effects to create the expansive world of Ancient Rome were revolutionary at the time, while the operatic score co-created by Hans Zimmer has become a new classic among modern movie music
• You’ll get as much crowd-pleasing excitement from it as you may have done 24 years ago, further cementing its status as a timeless 21st century blockbuster

Gladiator is showing in cinemas from Friday 11 October 2024